Leyland Trade Contract Matt - Brilliant White - 10L

Product Information

Contract matt is often used as a “builders finish” on a lot of newbuilds. This is mainly due to price!! But other factors include the breathability of contract matt, meaning it can be applied to bare plaster walls which are not fully cured or dried out. Kitchen has an extractor fan and the paintwork is still OK 2 years later. Stair walls have a few minor scuffs. Using contract matt as a mist coat is a bit “old school”. There was a time when every decorator was taught to use a coat of contract matt, and it can still be effective now. However, a lot of manufacturers will either advise you use a specialist primer, or just heavily dilute the same product as you’re using as a topcoat and apply directly to the plaster. Certainly not a matt emulsion, at the very least an emulsion with vinyl in it is needed - the vinyl makes it wipe able Contract matt is often used as a finish coat on newbuilds for a few reasons. The first being it’s cheap, but it tends to have better opacity than vinyl matt which means fewer coats. Some brands touch up well, which is ideal for snagging and homeowners tend to paint over a “builders finish” anyway.

The downside of using contract matt on a ceiling is it’s durability. It is useless in a room if you’re about to wallpaper the walls, as you will not be able to wipe paste residue off your finished ceiling. It is no good in a kitchen or bathroom either, as grease and moisture will penetrate and lift the paint. For a bathroom I'd recommend something with anti-mould additives, eg a satin or eggshell. Something like zinser permawhite.

Contract Matt

When it comes to trade wood and metal paints our choice of fast drying, non-drip and high gloss paint finishes come in a range of colours and are suitable for multiple uses.

Trade quality contract matt emulsion is something that comes up on the Decorators Forum UK on a regular basis and everyone seems keen to work out which is the best on the market. I regret to say, there are many I have yet to use, but I can take you through the ones I have.

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I hope this can be of some help to you and will hopefully provide you with the advice you required. I think the main problem here has been missed by your original decorator and the decorator who is providing the opinion on the material used. If the walls were nicotine stained then it would matter not the manufacturer or the type of emulsion used. The walls should have been thoroughly washed down with sugar soap and then either an oil based under coat or B.I.N primer should have been applied to all affected walls/ceilings. This would avoid the staining returning through the new coating. Once this has been done then it is entirely down to budget and the decorators personal preference on material used. There is not problem with contract emulsion being used, its designed for use in new build and newly plastered applications but can be used on any suitable substrate and it does indeed offer great obliterating power and is also very good when touched up. Contract matt is often a cheaper alternative to vinyl matt and contains less polymer binders. This gives the paint certain qualities. But what is contract matt paint used for? I thought I’d put pen to paper and explain. Without the proper preparation as mentioned before even Dulux supermatt would not stop the staining from returning. The original decorator must prepare all walls again by filling and sanding, then apply a full coat of oil based undercoat or B.I.N primer then apply the finished emulsion (2 full coats) be this with contract emulsion or the most expensive emulsion available. Too many decorators are still using cheap contract matt to prime bare plaster. It’s an old-school approach and you shouldn’t do it in modern decorating. There’s no need.